I wasn’t sold on seeing a personal trainer. I’ve seen trainers before, mostly when a few sessions came free with a new gym membership and I was never loved the experience. I have felt like some people I worked with weren’t a positive influence. (One trainer told me to lose weight so I could wear a crop top on Halloween.) As I told the NY Post, another trainer blindly told me I drank too much water.

But in the lead-up to our wedding, I figured it couldn’t hurt to give personal training another chance.I know so many people who love their trainers and feel like it’s a valuable tool for getting in great shape. My goal was to gain a little more muscle before the big day so I would feel toned. (I know toned isn’t a feeling, per se, but tell that to a girl who has purchased a very delicate wedding gown.)

I scoured Yelp for trainers near my office or my home and emailed a few of them. I landed on Leo Pinto, of Leo Results Fitness. Before I came in, we had a chat on the phone. Leo asked me what my goals were and what I usually do to work out. He also asked me to text him a photo of me in my wedding dress so he could get an idea of where we could make an impact. It sounds a bit crazy to send a guy I’ve never met a photo of me in a wedding dress, but it felt good to know he knew what we were working with.

borrowed from Leo’s website

I bought a 12 pack (and had one free intro session) and we got to work. We had 13 sessions in about four and a half weeks, so it was an intense stretch of workouts!

I loved my experience working with Leo and here are 6 things you need to know: